David Sweeton will be returning to Tennessee with his brother and father today, but his ties to the Lehigh Valley remain.

Sweeton spent the past two months at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest after suffering a septic shock June 21 while escorting a wide load on Interstate 78 near Cedar Crest Boulevard. While doctors were able to save his life after the shock caused his blood pressure to plummet, he had to lose his legs and part of his right hand before he could continue with life. During his time at the hospital, he also discovered he has colon cancer. Sweeton will be beginning his chemotherapy therapy in Tennessee as soon as he arrives.

Sweeton left a mark on many, particularly on East Stroudsburg resident, Ron Moyer. Moyer, 55, had gone through a similar situation in January of 2010, when a septic shock caused him to lose both of his legs.Yet he wasn't bitter about it. As I spoke with Moyer this morning he related the feeling of inner peace that emerged in him after surviving what most people would consider to be a tragedy.

He employed the same attitude of strength and humility when his 20-year-old son was killed in a car accident November of last year. Today, he told me about the seven people who received his organs. All seven transplants were successful and many of its recipients wrote to the Moyer's, thanking the family for the gift that their son, Ethan, had left behind.

Much like Sweeton, Moyer's life seems to be plagued by misfortune. But he has been able to extract meaning from it. When I met him last week, he was acting as a mentor to Sweeton. He made sure there was nothing on his friend's way when Sweeton tried to walk on his new prosthetic legs. He even bought Sweeton a pair of sneakers, hoping to inspire him to run and lead an active life. Moyer's influence was crucial Sweeton's new outlook on life.

"I really haven't had a positive attitude," Sweeton said about his life, "but since this happened, something changed."

Moyer had been praying for a purpose in life and Sweeton's unexpected stay in the area made Moyer realize how useful he could be to other amputees struggling to understand their new reality. He says he would love to mentor others going through a similar situation.

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ABOUT THE WRITERS

TIM DARRAGH has been reporting and editing the news for 30 years, most of it at The Morning Call. For much of that time, he's been doing award-winning investigative and in-depth reporting projects. Tim created the three-year-long Change of Heart project, and wrote a series on the state's fractured food inspection system that led to widespread improvements in food safety. Meantime, that novice jogger you see plodding along the streets around Bethlehem Township? That would be Tim.